Corn gathering and husking machine.



I No. 834.246.. PA TENTED 0.0T. 30, 1906.-

' I. J. BALL. f

CORN GATHERING AND HUSKI NG MACHINE,

' APPLIOATION FILED 00T.15,.1904.

5 SHEETS-SHEET l-.

7 No; 834,246. PATBNTED 001?. 30, 1900.

' IFJ.BALL. 00m; GATHERING-"AND HUSKING MACHINE.-

' APYLIOATIOH IILED 00T.16, 1904.

' 6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I n: NORRIS FETIIS cm, vusmuamu, n. c.

10,3 PATENTED 00 30, 1906.

I. J. BALL.

com: GATHERING AND HUSKIN G MAGH INE. APPLICATION IILED 00T.16, 1904.

5 snnswsannm 3 n1: NORRIS PETERS 1:17.; muumoruu, u. c

' No. 834,246. PATENTED OCT. 30, 1906.

I. J. BALL.

CORN GATHERING AND HUSKIN'G MACHINE.

APPLIOATIONIILED OOT.16,,1904.

TN: NORRIS PETERS co, wAsmrvaron, n. c

PATENTED 0017.00, 1900. 0 I. J. BALL. 001m GATHERING AND" HUSKING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 00T.16,-1H04.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

mm! A 1H: NORRIS PETIRS c0., WASHINGTON, n. c.

" tionofthemachine, whereby the same re+ separating the ears for removing the butts of. the ears, meansfor primary object the provision of amachine of for presenting the opposite sideofthe earsto charge'from the ceiving theshucked ears being preferablytai srArEs PATENT; 6mm

IRVING J. B'ALL, or BR'OGK, NEBRASKA.

CORN GATHERING AND HUSKING; MACHINE.

No. 834,246. I Specification of Letters latent. v Patent'ed' 01:11. 30, 1906 Application'filea October 15, 1904. fierial No."228,540.

whenread in connection with theaccomp any ing drawings, forming part hereof, andwher'e 1'0 all whom it-may concern/r Be it known'that I, IRVING J. BALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brock, in the county of Nemaha' and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and'useful Improvements in Corn Gathering and HuskingjMachines, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference'being'had therein to the accompanyingdrawings This invention relates .to a machine for gathering and huskingcorn,,andl has for its plan view-. Fig; 4

husking means with the immediately-associ-- atedp arts of: the machine:

this character designed more particularly for use-uponthe field and whereby thecornmay be removed from their stalks without necessi-. tating the cutting of the latter during the travel of the machine over said-field-and alsowhereby. in av continuous operation the husks may be removed from they various ears and separat'ed'therefrom.

An advantageous characteristic of the invention resides in the peculiar-manipulation of the ears in the different steps of the opera.-

machine; Fig. 7 is ad'etail perspective-view,

tersem loyed forseparating the" ears from thestal s and for cutting away any obstructravel of the machine. view of one of the yieldable bearings; andFig- 9'is a detail perspectiveview,

supporting wheels forthe rear of themachine: Referringmore specifically to the drawings, sembles as near as possible the more usual whereinlike reference characters refer togcore hand: method of'husking, so that the complete-or cleanhusking of. the ears cally assured;

Novel features of: a

is practimachine'constituting a; behereinafter noted; convenient embodiment of the invention em.- brace means for causing the stalks to approach or rest upon the ground, means for from, the stalks, means which may ordinaryinthisclass ofamachines;

endwise reversing the'ears to'cause them to: travelin the'proper directionrelative to the huskingiinstrumentalities, means for remov to the machine relative to t e ground; 7 such ing the usksfromone side-ofthe ears, means adjustment beingtpermitted and maintained y stems c, carrying the wheels other husking instrumentalities, in combina-- tiongwiththe, latter, and-means whereby the cleanedears andthe'husks are. separated and conducted: topredetermined points: of" dis machine, the means forrewith-5a series of dis secured to the. rearmos't beams of'the frame a, The bearing-boxes are split, as clearly/- illus trated in .Fig: 9, the vtwo members of eacihbe ing hinged together, as ate" the shanks 0 1n adjusted position therein, by bolts: and nuts 0 conveyer arranged to carry the same to a wagon in; front of the machine, and through the medium of which the machine is drawn, over the field I All'of the foregoing, as well as many other novelifeatures of the invention. incident to: the-construction and arrangement of the..sev.- eralpartsof the machine, will be apparent ter for a divisional applicationz from. thedetailed description hereinafter 5-isan enlarged sectionalview of'theinitiah Fig. Gisasimilar view of. the second or final huskinglmeans" with: the immediately-associated partsof the" partly in section, of: theguide-fingersand'out tions disposed transversely to the line of Fig: 8':- is a sectional theparts being; shown? as separated, of one of the bearings-for responding parts in: theseveral views, des-- ignates theframe" of the machine; the same having a: slight forwardpitchfor a-purfipose toi B-represents the main traction wheelsgbe of any desired type'rhaving" a smooth, roughened, or to'othed periphcr y, as-

0 represents caster wheels for supporting; the rear. portion of the machine, these wheels" being adjustable to givethe' roper 'elevation means of rotatably mounted shanks or; at one end and at their opposite .or' u per-' end being; providedi s or flanges c",',substan,; tially circular incontour and loosely-fitting: correspondinglygrooved bearing -boxes (9",,

and locked, with:

This feature of the'inven tion'l will not claim herein, inasmuch as" thesame more properly constitutessubject-mat IDrepresents a draft' banor t'ongue pivot' 5's in? the above-mentioned convenient embodi i is aside elevation:

, 101111ng the end of this draft-bar or tongue having a ally secured at a to the shaft 13 at points adforward ends of'the horizontallydisposed side bars a of the frame A, the frele lin or eye d, whereby the same may be readily attached to a wagon, which latter not constituting a part of the present invention will not be illustrated, it being simply necessary to state that it is through the medium of a wagon and its propelling source of power that the present machine is drawn from place to place over a corn-field, though of course instances may arise when drafthorses may be attached directly to the draftbar D or other source of power mounted upon the frame of the machine.

- It is to be understood that the machine is drawn over the stalks' as ordinarily grown in the field and that although the wagon before referred to will primarily bend the stalks somewhat toward the ground I have found itexpedient to provide other means for causing said stalks to closely approach or rest upon the groun The device which I have provided, while in-some respects not unlike a harrow, will be hereinafter referred to as a stalk-bender or bending device, the meaning intended to be conveyed by such term being that the device is designed to bend the stalks over in the path of the machine without separating them from the ground, whereby-the ears may be removed therefrom more quickly and easily than where the stalks are cut, owing to the resistance offered by the fixed relationof said stalks relative to the movement of the machine. The bending device .just referred to comprises side bars E,

dlverging outwardly at their forward ends, as at e, and rigidly connected together by cross ars e. Beneath the side bars E are adjustable, guide-plates F, their vertical adjustment being afforded through the medium of bolts theformer passing through suitable apertures provided therefor in the bars The foremost cross-bar e bends the stalks down close to the ground and. the

. plates F guide the same into proper alinement longitudinally of the machine and relative to. othenguides, to be shortly described. Eachvside bar is also provided with a series of teeth .G, the depth of penetration of which into the ground is limited by the plates F, the adjustment of the parts bein such that. a sufficient portion of each toot projects heneath the. plates F to gather in any loose ears lying upon the ground and in the path thereof. Inasmuch as the draft-bar D must be raised or lowered on its pivot a in accordancewith the size of the wagon to which the sameis to be attached, some means must be provided for properly adjusting the stalkbending device, this means comprising a chain H, secured to one of the intermediate cross-bars e and arranged to engage over a hook it on a brace h between the two members of said draft-bar. I have referred to one only of these adjusting-chains, although it is my purpose to use two of them, one at each side of the machine. The forward cross-bar e is connected to the draft-bar or tongue D by flexible connections I, which socure a proper forward movement of the stalk bending and guiding means.

At timesfor instance, while turning the machine in the fieldit is desirable to elevate the device just described out of engagement with the ground, whereby to preserve the teeth and facilitate the turning movement.

y device may be employed for this purpose, that shown in the present instance comprising a rotatable drum J, Figs. 1 and 2, mounted upon the. cross-bar or brace c, Fig. 2, over whichdrum works an operating-cable, one end of which is fastened to one of the side bars E, while the other end extends forwardly over the drum to a convenient controlling device, that most commonly at hand being the brake operating means of the wagon, the latter, however, when used for the present purpose, being deprived of its connection with the brake-shoes, as is obvious.

As the stalks are laid down and straightened longitudinally of the machine they are guided by the plates F to either one of the three ways K beneath the main portion of the machine, formed partially by the flanges .70 on the transversely-disposed plate 7c, partially by side plates L 011 the frame A, and partially by circumferential ribs or flanges M on a rotatable carrier N, it being observed upon an inspection of Figs. 2 and 3 that the side plates L extend alongside both the rotary carrier and the outer edges of the plate k and also that the flanges 7c are in longitudinal alineinent with the circumferential ribs or flanges M. By this arrangement three distinct continuous ways K are provided and continually maintained without interfering with the rotary movement of the carrier N, it being understood that any desired number of ways greater or less than three may be provided, in keeping with the principle involved to adapt the machine to any particular use or capacity. Arranged so that the spaces between the same may properly register with the ways K are a series of guide-fingers 0, Figs. 2, 5, and 7, the same being broad and flat, though somewhat pointed, and adjustably secured in place in the following manner:

P is a beam fixedly secured across the lower rear end of the machine and provided on its outer face with ribs 1), designed to enter complementary rooves p in the upper face of each guide-finger O. This permits the proper adjustment of the fingers, and to lock the beam and teeth together bolts 1) pass through slots p in the fingers and apertures in the beam, the threaded ends of the bolts being engaged by nuts 1 These bolts and'nuts serve the additional function of fasthe fingers, serving to. fasten the; lower ends of said. blades in their respective-recesses orseats.

Near the upper ends ot the blades Q and arranged transversely thereto I secure a. cutter-bar R, rigid with, theforward face of the beam P, the effective or operating portions of the cutter-bar'beingintermediate the guidefingers and across. the space therebetween. As the stalks passthrough the ways K their attachedorlower endsfirst; enter the spaces between the guide-fingers and as the machine moves forward are drawn therethrough, whereby the ears are caught between the fin,- gers and guided by the diver 'ng walls thereof tothe cutter-bar R, which cuts the same from its. butt and stalk when the detached ear is in position for the succeeding manipulation, as will presently appear. The purpose of theknife-blades Q, isprincipally to cut up and. lessen the hindrance offered to the progressive movement. of the machine by fori eign matterorstalks disposed across the path of movement of said blades and transversely of the line of travel of the machine, also to keep, the ears straight as they are cut from the stalks. It is to be noted that as the mar chine travelsin, aforward direction and the ears are engaged by the guide-fingers O the separation of said ears from, their stalks is strongly resisted by reason of the stalks holding fast to the ground, so that when the ears are cutfrom the stalks by the cutter-bar R they proj ect forwardly at substantially rightangles to the cutter-bar in position to have their pointed ends caught by some of the teethn, disposed around the periphery of the rotary'carrier N. This effects a reversal, of

of the arrow, same figure, whereby the ears.

- are elevated or pushed upwardly into the space between rotary husking devices T and the carrier N. This pushing-roll has several flanges s in line with thefianges M on the carrier N, whereby the proper alinement of the ears is maintained' One rotary husk ing device T, is disposedldirectly opposite to each space between the peripheral flanges of the rotary carrier, and they are independently su ported andialso independently actuated. he peculiar character of the teeth t of'the-husker is perhaps best seen in Fig. 4, where said. teeth are illustrated as being formed upon; an arc conforming: as near as possible to the averagecurvature of'one side or half of an ear, whereby the husks on the side or=half of the ear presented to the teeth of the husking device will be firmly grasped. thereby and torn from the ear as the carrier rotates away from the same, the husking devices of course rotating inan opposite direction, Fig.

5. The husking devices T are, as previously stated, yieldably supported, whereby they may automatically approach closer to or recede from the rotary carrier to accommodate ears of different thickness, the initial adjustment of the parts being of course for the smaller-sized ears. The yieldable bearings comprise a main supporting-plate U, Figs. 5 and 8, secured to the frame A of the machine and carrying a series ofrearwardly-disposed tubular sleeves or; housings a, one foreach husking device, within which slidable bearing-boxes u for said husking devices work back and forth. Theseboxes are guided. in their movement by lugs u, fitting the slotsu inthe sleeves. The movement of the bearing-boxes in a rearward direction is resisted by springs a bearing atv one end against the boxes and at their opposite end a ainst an adjustable plug or screw a, thread the medium of which the tension of the springs is.regulated. a represents stems on the bearing-boxes guided by longitudinally-disposed apertures u in the plugs u. The husking devices aredriven by means of sprocketchains V, operated from gears c on a common drive-shaft 'v and. engaging the centrally-disposed gears-v of the husking devices. The teeth of the husking devices are cleaned by the teeth of the pushing-roll S, and also by depending teeth '0 on the supportingplate U. It may happen that some of the ears separated fromthe stalks are tooshort to be engaged by the teeth n of the rotary carrier N, and in this event such short, ears are simply pushed u wardly by the succeeding ears andforwar ly by inclined guides W, arranged immediately above the cutter-bar, until the same are caught by the teeth 11 or. the teeth of the pusher-roller S. Teeth 112. at. the up. er-edges of the guides W serve to prevent t .e short ears escaping rearwardly thereover and. also constitute cleaners for the pusher-roller. The ears having now been stripped of the husks on'one side thereof are carried upwardly and around the topof the machine by the rotary carrier N until they approach. the husking instrumentalities for the opposite side of the ears mounted at the forward end of the main portion of the machine and which will now be described, said ears having in the meantime been held in place upon the teeth of the carrier by freelyvmounted. gravity pressure-rolls X, the shafts 5c of which work in slots iii in arched side members at of the frame of the machine.

With reference to Figs. 2 and 6, Y designates a husking device mounted relatively close to the rotary carrier N and fixed against bodily movement relative thereto to prevent the ears on the carrier passing therebetween. This husking device extends entirely across the machine and is provided with properlyseparated husking-teeth y of the same general character as the teeth 25 of the devices T, hereinbefore described. Thehusking device Y rotates in'the direction of the arrow, Fig. 5, in opposition to a rotary feeding and pressing device Z, rotating in a contrary direction, one arranged opposite each peripheral set of teeth on the rotary carrier. The yieldable bearings for the feeding and pressing devices are represented at z and the common supporting-plate therefor at z, it being unnecessary to go further into the detail of these, as they are the same in structure as the corresponding elements hereinbefore-defined in connection with the husking devices T. As the carrier approaches that part of the machine last referred to the centrifugal force incident to the rapid movement of the carrier will cause a separation of the ears therefrom, and said ears coming in contact with the foremost roller X will be guided thereby to the feeding and pressing devices Z, the headed pins 2 of which will grab the ears and force them between the same and the husking device Y, the result being that the under or unhusked half or side of the ears will be presented to the teeth of the husking device Y and stripped from the ears thereby.

The removed husks are carried around by the device Y and falling upon the inclined teeth and plate (designated, respectively, at 2 and 3) are delivered to a chute 4, inclining outwardly and downwardly toward both sides of the machine, whereby the husks are conducted to the ground. The chute is mounted upon the side bars E of the stalk-bending device, so that the vibration thereof incident to the engagement of the teeth T with the ground will shake the husks and cause a proper feed thereof through said chute to either the one or the other side of the machine. The cleaned or husked ears fall from between the husking device Y and the feeding devices Z into a hopper 5 therebeneath arranged at the rear end of a forwardlyextending upwardly-inclined endless elevator 6, adapted to carry the corn from the machine and drop it into the wagon-body in front of the same or into any other receptacle provided there- The supporting-frame 7 for the elevator rests uponthe upper ends of the uprights 8.

Chains 9, engaging sprockets 10 on the axle 11 of the rotary carrier N and corresponding sprockets 12 on the axle 13 of the traction-wheels B on opposite sides of the machine, transmit the driving motion from said traction-wheels to said rotary carrier. A similar chain 14, engaging a sprocket 15 and a sprocket l6, rigid with the shaft 11 and adjoining one of the sprockets 10, imparts the proper movement to the driveshaft e for the husking devices T. At the opposite end of the shaft 8 I provide another sprocket 17, operating through the medium of a chr. in 18 and sprocket 19 to rotate the husking device Y, said husking device in turn ell'ecting the operation of the feeding and pressing devices Z by means of chains 20, running from the husking device to a drive shaft 21, mounted at the forward upper end of the frame A, and a chain 22, running from said. shaft to the shaft of each of the feeding and pressing devices Z, suitable sprockets being provided for this purpose. Any convenient means may be utilized in operating the end less elevator 6. The rotary carrier hereinbefore referred to is shown as hexagonal, the flat surfaces of which permit the corn carried thereby to lie flat thereon; but it is obvious that anyshaped carrier found practicalfor instance, one having a greater or less munber of sidesmay be substituted for that shown. The forward pitch or inclination of the frame of the machine enables the proper mounting and disposition of the parts, while greatly decreasing the size and number of the parts of the same which would otherwise be required. It also enables the corn to be con tinually carried forwardly after leaving the initial husking devices and to shoot forwardly and downwardly by centrifugal force and gravitation to the second or final husking device, as before described.

23 represents clutches of any convenient character for drawing the sprocket-wheols 1.2 into and out of operative relation with the traction-wheels B.

Another feature of importance, not heretofore observed, is the disposition of the teeth a on the periphery of the rotary carrier N. In Fig. 3 it will be seen that these teeth are arranged in pairs, the teeth of each pair being so separated that they will not engage the center or thickest portion of the ears, but rather at points a little to the sides of the longitudinal center, which will give a firm hold on the husks and enable their ready removal without otherwise damaging the corn.

It is to be understood that although certain disclosures have been made herein and a special embodiment of the invention illustrated the invention is susceptible of many other embodiments.- It is also appreciated that changes and alterations may be made in the various features and arrangements of ground parts of the machine shown in the drawings without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

1., In a machine of the character described, a stalk-bender, means in rear thereof for alining the stalks longitudinally of the machine, means in rear of said alining means for separating the ears from the stalks, and means for adjustably supporting the bender in advance of the alining means. 2. In a machine of the character described;

.a stalk-bender arranged to bend the stalks into a position substantially parallel with the prior to the removal of the ears from the stalks, said bender being provided with side plates adapted to prevent lateral movement of the stalks, in combination with earremoving means arranged in rear of said bender. v

3. In a machine of the character described, a stalk-bender arranged to bend the stalks into a position substantially parallel with the ground provided with means for guiding the stalks into longitudinal alinement with the machine while in their bent condition and prior to the separation of the ears from the stalks, in combination with ear removing means arranged in rear of said bender.

4. In a machine of the character described, means for bending the stalks into a position substantially parallel with the ground, means forming a guideway in rear of said bender for alining the sta ks while in bent condition, and means adjacent to said guideway for separating the ears from the stalks.

5 In a machine of the character described, means for bending the stalks down toa position substantially parallel with the ground, guide-fingers arrangedlongitudinally of the machine for engaging the ears of a stalk when in bent condition, and means for cutting the ears from the stalk arranged transversely of the guide-fingers.

- 6. In a machine of the character described, guide-fingers for engaging the ears of a stalk, a cutter operatively associated therewith for removing the ears from the stalk, and knifeblades on the fingers disposed in vertical planes, the forward edges of said knives 0on stituting their cutting portions.

7. In a machine of the character described, guide-fingers for engaging the ears of a stalk, a cutter operatively associated therewith for removing the ears from the stalk, and knifeblades removably mounted upon the fingers disposed in vertical planes, the forward edges of said knives constituting their cutting ,portions.

8. In a machine of the character described, means for bending the stalks toward the ground, in combination with instrumentalities independent of the bending means for separating the ears from said stalks while in bent condition and for husking said ears.

9. In a machine of the character described, means for bending the stalks toward the ground, said bender being arranged to pass over said stalks, in combination with instrumentalities arranged in rear of said bender for separating the ears from the stalks while l in bent condition.

10. In a machine of the character described, an approximately cylindrical rotary carrier, a guideway leading thereto for alining the stalks, means adjacent to said way for separating the ears from said stalks, and means operating in conjunction with the carrier for husking said ears.

1 1. In a machine of the character described, an approximately 0 lindrical carrier, means for engaging the stalks, means for separating the ears from said stalks, and means operating in conjunction with the carrier for husking said ears.

12. In combination with a rotary carrier, means for separating the ears from a stalk, husking instrumentalities abovesaid separating means, and means for ushing the separated ears upwardly towar the husking instrumentalities.

13. In combination with a rotary carrier, means for separating the ears from a stalk, husking instrumentalities above said separating means, and a pusher-rollfor forcing the ears upwardly toward the husking instrumentalities.

14. In combination with a rotary carrier, means for separating the cars from a stalk and for presenting the points thereof to the carrier, husking instrumentalities, and means for pushing the separated earsupwardlytoward the husking instrumentalities.

.15. In combination with a rotary carrier, means for separating the ears from a stalk and for presenting the points thereof to the carrier, means for forcing the shorter ears to? ward the carrier, and means operatively associated with the carrier for huskingsaid ears.

16. In a machine of the character described, means for separating the ears from the stalks, and separated guide-fingers for the stalks projecting downwardly and rearwardly relative to the direction of travel of the machine and toward the separating means forming a way leading toward the said separating means.

17 In a machine of the character described, a stalk-bender having between its sides a space for the stalks, said space ta ering in a rearward direction relative to t e line of travel of the machine, in combination with means in rear of said bender for separating the ears from the stalks.

means for separating the ears from a stalk comprising a cutter-bar, guide-fingers leading thereto, knife-blades on the guide-fingers disposed in vertical planes, and means for Securing said blades in place including a Witnesses:

bracket embracing the opposite sides thereof R. M. CAMPBELL, and connected thereto. l J 0s. H. MILANS.

In testimony'whereof I afiix my signature 1n presence of two Witnesses.

IRVING J. BALL. 

